Back to France

I am happily back in France at my home in La Tour Blanche.  It is nice to be back but I miss the sunshine in Dallas and Los Angeles.

I spent Sunday going to several brocantes, lots of fun, lots of stuff......

I love these planters and though they look old they are not.  I would buy them anyway but the cost of shipping them to the States is prohibitive but we love them, don't we?

All girls love dolls, no matter what our age.

After the brocantes, there was a late lunch with friends.  So nice.

More brocantes next week so the newsletter will be full of things I actually bought for you to see.

Couldn't resist these adorable UGGS which feel so good after walking in the rain all day.

UGG pink slippers

That's it for now

A bientôt

Flea Market shopping in two countries

London Flea Market

Portobello Road on a rainy, cold day.  Not too many people out so I had my choice of anything I wanted.  The first thing I bought was some gorgeous silver for French Vintage Home.

The food stalls were also fabulous and I bought some beautiful purple broccoli for dinner.

Notting Hill is such a great place to visit.  These pastel houses are spectacular.

And then I return to France and go to the Vide Greniers here

No shortage of food here either.

Don't you love the vintage chocolate candy advertising  ribbon I bought to tie onto a gift? I am always searching for  vintage advertising ribbons and they are getting harder and harder to find.  This one is a treasure.

Wishing you all good shopping.

A Bientôt

Audrey

Warm weather leather

The French were the first to make fashion important.  It started in the 17th century and hasn't stopped

"Haute couture" originated in Paris in the 1860s.

The extravagant, luxurious and evanescent styles of the French Royal court led the courtiers to run up enormous debts to keep up the pace, at the peasant’s expense. Such fashion sprees notably ruined Marie Antoinette’s reputation, and were one of the many factors paving the way for the French Revolution.

World4.eu

Though these styles did fade away, fashion has not.

We have come a long way since that time, and thankfully our clothes are more comfortable.

From the streets of Paris to the shops in Dallas, leather is as popular as ever.  No matter how much we have, we always have room in our closet for another piece.  The styles are simple and don't change much from year to year.

Here are a few of my favorites.

From Estelle....blogger

Photo by the news.com.pk

From the runway

And now from your self appointed personal shopper,the looks that I really adore. Just click on the blue descriptions and see details.

Ralph Lauren at his best

Catherine Malandrino Stretchy Leather Pants

Lambskin Lemon Drop Top

I try and tell my readers a bit about me and my life here in France as well as my life in the States.  There are so many things I love to do and I hope you enjoy sharing them with me.  I love to cook, I love to shop, I love my family so much and from time to time will write about all these things.  I am a "new" writer, "new" photographer and fairly "new" blogger.  Thank you for following.

A Bientôt

Audrey

Thé ou de Café

Afternoon Tea a la Francaise

Kusmi tea

Lovely tea available all over the world

It would be hard to find a culture that did not drink tea.  In Europe it is an important part of every day.  It is normally served with a piece of cake or a sandwich eaten between lunch and dinner.

                From gothicteasociety blog

Along with the tea, it is nice to serve a delicious tea cake or finger sandwiches.  Better yet serve both.

I found these "ultimate finger sandwiches" hilarious. The Daily Goodie Bag has posted a recipe for Hand Sandwiches, delicious “handwiches” that use frozen dinner rolls to create a hand-shaped bun. They call them the “ultimate finger sandwiches.”

More traditional ones would be made on crustless bread and filled with thin cucumber slices, smoked salmon, cream cheese/chive or anything your imagination allows.

Don't forget to add some special sugar, like this rock candy on sticks.


Little bird tea cup

Set of 4 different printed chintz tea cups

The gorgeous stores that sell fresh ground coffee are everywhere, even in the mediaeval town of Perigueux, close to where I have my home.   The beans are freshly ground from these beautiful storage containers.

Have you tried Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee?  If you are a serious coffee drinker you can't get much better than this.
Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee is a classification of coffee grown in the Blue Mountains of Jamaica. The best lots of Blue Mountain coffee are noted for their mild flavour and lack of bitterness. Over the last several decades, this coffee has developed a reputation that has made it one of the most expensive and sought-after coffees in the world.

Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee

I only write about things I love.  I am lucky that I love so much.

May you recognize the small pleasures in life and take the time to enjoy them.

A Bientôt

Audrey

Cooking on my mind

Artist Simon Beck must really love the cold weather! Along the frozen lakes of Savoie,France, he spends days plodding through the snow in snowshoes, creating sensational patterns of snow art.

I, on the other hand would rather stay home and cook.  While I appreciate what he does and cannot imagine the patience he has, being out in the cold that long is frightening.

In order to cook, one must shop.  We are so privileged to be living in an area where all the food is locally grown, fresh, no preservatives and delicious.

I have taken pictures of my favorite places to shop in my town.  The vendors are so sweet and lovely, it makes shopping a pleasure not a chore.

Salade de Chevre Chaud

I truly love this goat cheese salad and I add a magic ingredient to it, not traditionally used.  It is onion confit and it makes all the difference in the world.  Toss mixed greens with your favorite vinegarette dressing and put on a plate.  Top it with two or three small slices of baguette, onion confit and goat cheese. It may become your favorite too.

To make the onion confit, slice two onions and sauté.  Add 1 teaspoon sugar, pinch of salt, pepper and thyme.  Add a dash of balsamic vinegar after the onions are nicely browned.  Cook until there is no liquid left in the pan.  Be sure not to burn the onions,just make them dark brown.It should take about 15 minutes.   Yum......

Darling measuring cups

Kitchenaid Tangerine Mixer

Button candy colour mug set

From Taste Inspired's Blog comes this lucious recipe for Sweet Potato Fries.  They are delicious.

Ingredients:

2 sweet potatoes, about 1 lb, cleaned and partially peeled

1 tbs extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp ground cumin

1/4 tsp garlic powder

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

final sprinkle of paprika

2 tbs cilantro, loosely chopped

directions:

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Cut the potatoes in 1/2 inch thick slices. Rinse the potatoes thoroughly with cold water. Let dry on a dish towel. Place the potatoes in a bowl, drizzle with the olive oil, and sprinkle with the cumin, salt, and pepper. toss to coat evenly.

Enjoy.....

Bon Appétit

A Bientôt

Audrey

Lunch for friends

My friend Margaret Ryder, Dallas, is the most amazing floral artist.  I love the way she decorated this doggie. She does beautiful and unusual arrangements for your dining table too.

If someone asked me what my very favorite meal is, I might say roast chicken.  Having been a vegetarian for so many years, when I  roast a chicken it is also cooked with lots of vegetables.  Okay, I do eat more of the veg than I do the chicken but my guests seem to love the whole thing. This gorgeous chicken was roasted with about six different vegetables and then they were tossed over the whole thing.  The picture tells it all and the recipe follows.

I served it with sautéed mushrooms and dhal bat, a combination of rice, shallots and lentils.  All the recipes follow.

Recipe for roast chicken

Season the inside and outside of the chicken with salt, pepper and paprika.  Paint it with some olive oil, I use my hand as the paintbrush. If your family likes the giblets, just place them into the cavity of the chicken and roast them all together.  Living here in France, the giblets are loved by all.  They even make a Périgourdine salad which uses them.  That's for another time. 

Into a very hot oven, place the chicken in a covered roasting pan.  Add cubes of eggplant, chopped celery, carrot rounds, sliced onions, either sun dried or just raw tomatoes and mushrooms.  You can use any vegetable you prefer but the total should be about 2 cups. Circle the chicken with the vegetables.  Don't cover the chicken with the vegetables until ready to serve or the skin won't brown. Add two cups of chicken stock and cook on high heat for 45 minutes.
  
Remove cover and finish cooking in a semi-hot oven until chicken is nice and brown, maybe another 45 minutes depending on the size of the chicken. You might have to add additional water or stock as there should always be a bit of liquid on the bottom.

When chicken is finished, place on serving platter with vegetables scattered on top and cover with foil for about 15 minutes so juices will sink in.

Add 1 cup of white wine to the drippings in the pan and reduce by half.  This should take 15 minutes.
Pour over the vegetable covered chicken.

A few years ago I trekked in the Himalayas and  Dal Bhat was a staple for us.  It is typically cooked in Nepal on a daily basis and is the center of the meal.  Poultry and meat is very scarce in Nepal and we had very few fresh vegetables as well so we ate a lot of rice and lentils.

Recipe for Dhal Bat


Plain Rice (Bhat)
2 cups rice 
4 cups (1 lt) water
1 tsp butter (optional)
Cook rice in the litre of water until done.  Or you can used instant rice, it tastes fine.

Lentils (Dal)
1½ cups lentil (I used canned and they are just fine)
½ tsp turmeric
1 tsp garlic, minced
2 tbsp butter
3/4 cup diced shallots sautéed
Salt to taste
Sauté shallots in butter, add seasoning and lentils.

Mix the Bhat with the Dal and Voila, there you go.

The perfect roasting pan

Yotam Ottolenghi's new book

If you are not yet a fan of Ottolenghi cooking, I believe you will be.  He is amazing and so are his books.

Unique Vintage style apron

How cute you will look in this darling apron.  Even if you never wear an apron while cooking, this one is irresistible.


From About.com comes this recipe and photo of Wine Poached Pears, the perfect ending to your meal.


Ingredients:

4-6 Peeled, Cored and Sliced Pears (recommend Bosc or Anjou)
1 1/2 cups of red wine (recommend Zinfandel, Shiraz or Merlot)
3/4 cups of granulated sugar
2 Tablespoons of lemon juice (can also add lemon zest if desired)
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 teaspoons of cinnamon
Preparation:

Combine all ingredients, except pears, and bring to a boil. Once the wine mixture is boiling, turn heat down to a simmer and add the pears. Simmer pears for 10-12 minutes and then turn pears and simmer for an additional 8-10 minutes - until they are tender and are easily poked through with a fork. Remove pears and let them cool. Boil wine sauce until the liquid has been reduced by half. Pour sauce over pears and serve with either marscapone, crème fraiche or Devonshire cream.

I have tried this recipe and it is delicious.

Square white plate

Perfect for serving those beautiful red pears.

Enjoy......

A Bientôt........